Betty Crocker cooking continues, sweet treat find and a dining out experience that was amazing!

I have three recipes from Betty Crocker.  So far, I have not been disappointed at all. I also have a new favorite at a local restaurant.  It was a special that I hope becomes permanent.  And I have a cool find from Dollar General.

Up first is Cashew Pork and Pea Pods.  Now this was interesting.  Pork, orange juice, orange marmalade, soy sauce, corn starch and ginger was the bulk of ingredients, along with pea pods, peaches and cashews.  And served on rice.

 I started the rice first.  Since I was making brown rice, it will take a little longer.  The I cut up the pork.  I used some pork that I could slice up and cut into smaller chunks.  One good tip if you don't know, have it a little frozen.  It makes any meat a lot easier to cut up.

 After I got all the meat cut and cooked, I added the pea pods and fruit.  I used peaches, other suggestions were nectarines or papaya.  Thawed frozen peaches worked just fine.  Next time, cutting the slices in half would be a bit better I think.

After they are done, I took them out, as I don't have a wok.  Made the sauce and then returned everything back into the pan to coat everything in the sauce.

When finished cooking, mix in the cashews.

It was very good!

We went out one night with a friend for dinner.  We ended up going to one of my favorite places, Fat Tuesday.  It is on S.W. 9th in Des Moines, IA.  I have just about everything on the menu and have leaned to test out the specials.  The Steak and Cheese Poboy is really good and has been a special for a while.  On this visit the special was Bacon and Catfish Poboy. All I can say is it was WONDERFUL!  Come on, this is proof that everything is better with bacon.  The catfish is always pretty good, but add the bacon to the sandwich and Yum-O as Rachel Ray would say.

                                                                                                                                                                                                             I almost forgot to take a photo it was so good.  I had a side of Cajun Greens with it also, but I eat them too fast.

For dessert, the owner was nice and gave us a slice of King Cake. It was really good also.  First time ever having it.

Back to Betty Crocker cooking, I made Scalloped Potatoes.  But as a dinner, I added some ham and cheese.  I used a sharp white cheddar and it was really good.  I had some left over ham from New Years in the freezer, so I used it.

 This is a repeat dinner for sure.


Here is what I just happen to find at Dollar General.  Sea Salt Caramel Turtles.  Luckily, they only had two boxes.  So I bought both and put one on a high shelf in the pantry.  After three days, I have ate most of the box.  Granted, there are only 10 and I have shared three of them.  I have two left.  Possibly one after this post...

They have them at Walmart also.

Now for the favorite recipe.  Chili Rellenos Casserole.  I of course had to change it up just a little.  I used pepper jack cheese and whit sharp cheddar. I also added onions and garlic. Two Poblano peppers quartered in boiling water for three minutes. 

 I also cooked the onions and garlic in a little olive oil. Just to soften them up.

Beat the eggs and milk.

 After the three minutes, drain inverted on paper towls

The pepper are put into a square casserole dish.







Sprinkle cheese over peppers, add onions and garlic

 The flower, cayenne pepper, baking powder and salt are added to the eggs and milk.  Beat until smooth.  This takes a while.

f

 Poor egg flour mixture over the peppers

 Bake for 15 minutes at 450.  Sprinkle with cheese. and serve.

It was really good with the optional picante and sour cream.  I'm not a huge fan of sour cream, but in this case it does add to it.  It gives it smooth texture and a rich flavor.

Coming soon, Red Beans and Rice, Stuffed shells, and Italian Pepper Steak. There will also be a few surprises.

Testing out the Betty Crocker Cookbook

I've decided to try out most of the recipes of the Betty Crocker Cookbook.  Why not all you may wonder?  Cause I HATE mushrooms and I know there will be some of those vial things in the recipes.  I will swap them with something else if I can, but just in cause.  Also you never know what else there may be that I don't like.


So far I have tried the following:


Chili - very good and will make again!

Chicken Jambalaya - So good!  And Mark took my leftovers that I was saving for my lunch!  Yes, it was that good. So I have to rub it in.(sorry, no photo)

Stuffed Peppers - These were easy and good.  I did add a few extra things to it.  Like some taco sauce on the top and used pepper jack cheese in the filling and extra sharp cheddar on the top. (sorry, no photo of this either)







Old-Fashioned Beef Stew - I have made stews before, but this one was really good. Normally I do it in the crockpot, but this time I did it on the stove and it worked out very well I think.


What have I been thinking, I keep forgetting to take a photo.  So here is a photo from the left overs.  FYI, they are also just as good.  Maybe better even.

I even tried out Swedish Meatballs - I liked them.  Mark thought they needed something more.  But there are kind of a subtle flavor to them. The recipe called for Allspice or Nutmeg.  I used Allspice, but I think Nutmeg would be better.  I also used Milk.  The recipe stated to use Milk, Half-and-Half or Light Cream, so maybe the Cream or Half-and-Half would do more.  Also I baked the meatballs, so I didn't have as much pan drippings, so next time I will just fry them so I have more drippings.  Over all, I think it was a success. And of course, I forgot a photo.  But at least I had left overs for it.

Up next is one that intrigued me.  Winter Pot Roast.  Since it is winter and pot roast sounded so good, I figured why not try it. Normally I just through stuff in the crockpot, but this isn't a crockpot recipe and I want to make it with the recipe to see how it is supposed to taste. But I will prep some stuff early, so I don't have to do it all at once.

In the morning I prepared the veggies and items that needed some chopping or other prep.

First I chopped up some carrots and parsnips.  The recipes called to use either, but I figured that I would do a half and half thing with them.  Cause I love them both.  If you haven't had parsnips before, to me they are a little sweeter than carrots. 

 (if you want to mess with family and friends for dinner, try cooking a bunch of parsnips in boiling water and then drain and mash.  Just like mashed potatoes, only sweeter.  Just need a little butter.  Mark didn't care for them, but I also didn't tell him what they were until after he tasted them.  Yes, I can be evil.)

Next I did the garlic. I have three gadgets that make using garlic a breeze.  First is the peeler.  It is the tube thing in the photo.  All you do is but the clove of garlic in it and roll it back and forth for a few seconds and the skins come right off.

Look at that!  Way to easy really.  The silver item is used to mince the garlic.  This is the best tool ever for mincing garlic.  Plus when you wash it, rub it over your hands.  It actually takes the smell out.  I use it when I do onions and garlic.  So when I'm done, takes both the smells out.

It called for one large onion cut into wedges, so I used two small ones and just chopped them largely.  

 Next up, I halved the apricots and prunes. No cool tools for this.  Just a knife.






That was all the prep I was able to do. Cooking time is 2 1/4 hours. So I started about at about 3:30 p.m. so that dinner would be done around 6.


After the first hour and 45 minutes, I added all the veggies and cooked for 40 more minutes.

The results were really good.  Mark of course wasn't a fan of the parsnips, but did like the meat and the gravy.  I like the whole thing and next time, no Parsnips.  Maybe I will throw in a rutabaga or turnip.  :)

Coming up next, Cashew Pork and Pea Pods and Scalloped Potatoes.

I have returned! Coming soon - BBQ Spare Ribs sauce from the Asian Store

I haven't posted in a while.  I had a surprise surgery, but I am back and feeling much better every day.  I can't wait until I get back to myself or better than before would be great.

I haven't been doing much cooking and what I have done, hasn't been very creative.  I also wasn't up to taking photos.  But that is changing and I will be posting some new stuff soon. (something this week)

To make a long story short, most of my posts will now be Heart/Diabetic friendly.  So feel free to suggest recipes to make or to try and make more healthy.  I have an enchilada recipe that is healthy and so good.

Where are the posts? Maybe with my voice...

Sorry I haven't posted in a while.  I've been sick and haven't cooked much.  And when I did, Mac n Cheese or Grits were not very exciting.  I also need to hit the store so that I can cook.  I'm better now, other than I have been also to talk very loud.  I keep loosing my voice.  I think some people have enjoyed it.

Today I did have a cupcake from Scratch.  They had them at work to promote the Principal Charity Golf Classic.  They had chocolate with white frosting and white with some other frosting.  I got chocolate.

It was really good.  I was good and only ate half.  The other half I shared with a friend.  So I felt better about eating it. Scratch has stores in Cedar Falls, Waterloo and West Des Moines.  And I have to day, I could eat them often.  The cake was most and the even with the frosting, not overly sweet.  Looking at the website, I want to try more flavors.  Sweet Potato, Tiramisu, Salty Dog, Fluffernutter and of course the Maple Bacon!

Pork and Cheese Papusa with slaw and hot sauce.

 A couple weeks ago, I finally got to try El Salvador Del Mundo.  I heard it was great.  Some of the reviews said it was good food, but a dive.  The food was great and the decor was nice.  It wasn't fancy, but it was nicely decorated that gave the feeling of El Salvador.  Many maps on the walls and pictures of sites.  The Papusa I had was great.  I've had them at the farmers market, but they can not compare to right there.  The pork and cheese was great.  Add the cabbage slaw and the HOT green sauce and I was in heaven.  I got one Papusa to try, but also had something else.  I wanted to try something I have never had.  So I tried the stuffed Pacaya.  I have NO idea what it was.  But it was with cheese and fried.  So how could I go wrong.  The pacaya is a palm type plant.  The cheese is stuffed in between the corn looking tentacles kind of what they looked like).  But it had a corn/asparagus taste.  Also very good with the hot green sauce.

The stuffed Pacaya.

Some cooking, reviews of gadgets and restaurants.

I need my CARBS!!!!! But low carb will do

I've have become a Cyborg.  I now have robotic parts.  Okay, one robotic part and don't be dirty.  I have an insulin pump.  It is my external pancreas.  With this, I need to count my carbohydrates aka carbs.  Since I know the body still needs carbs in small amounts, I need lower carb ideas.  So I will be testing some low carb recipes and products.  Feel free to let me know your ideas or finds.

I love pasta, pizza and bread.  Three pretty high carb foods.  So I decided to find alternatives   Let me tell you, ordering pizza sucks.  One slice of a large pepperoni pizza is 29 carbs, thanks to Pizza Hut's nutritional information on their website.

So I will start off with my low carb thin crust pizza.

I made 2 versions, Turkey Pepperoni Pizza and Greek Style Pizza.

 I found these at the store.  They are made by La Tortilla Factory and only 10g of carbs per tortilla.  And with 7g of fiber!

 In the carb calculations that I use, I can subtract and then they are only 3 carbs each!(something about fiber carbs don't get absorbed into the body).  So these made a great lunch for anything and hope to make a great thin crust for my pizza.

On the left, Tortilla shell, Roasted Red Pepper Hummus as the sauce, four slices of Budding Beef, and feta cheese.  I would also recommend added Kalamata olives, but I was out. On the right is a basic Turkey Pepperoni pizza.  I would also recommend onions and bell peppers for that one.  But again, I was out.

After about 15 minutes on 375, they are done

I know I should have used a different plate, but it was easy to grab. I of course ate both pizzas since they were low in just about everything.  

For the bread portion of my hunt, I looked online and found tons of low carb breads.  But I actually found one at Whole Foods and I liked it.  It is a pretty dense bread, but makes a yummy grilled cheese.  The bread is from Natural Ovens Bakery.  I got the Original Carb Conscious Bread.  80 calories, 1.5g of fat, and 10g of carbohydrates.  But only 4g of fiber.  If you are watching your carbs, I would recommend this.  It is a filling bread and as a PB&J, OMG I was stuffed.  It is a little pricey for bread, but with the low carb I can deal.


Now for the pasta, this is going to be hard.  I did find a pasta, but I haven't tried it yet.  It is from Food for Life Baking Company.  It is the Ezekiel 4:9.  I bough the Sprouted Whole Grain Penne Pasta.  For 2 oz of pasta, it is 210 calories, 2g of fat and 39g of carbs, but has 7g of fiber, so really only 32g of carbs for me.  Which is low for pasta.  I have not had a chance to try it yet, but when I do, I will pass it a long.  It is supposed to be Diabetic friendly, so here's hoping.

Some good low carb/no carb snacking ideas:
Hummus and carrot chips
Beef sticks
Cheese sticks/string cheese
Lunch meat
Lunch meat around cheese sticks


Again, PLEASE send me your low carb snack ideas!  And recipes!  I plan on making my own hummus soon.

Until next time...

Lettuce wraps with Hot and Sour Soup was a hit!

First off, now that I think I am over my computer issues (video card died, new chip and motherboard and new hard drive) I think I can get things back to normal.  And the best part, I lost no data!  YAY!

As promised, here is my review of Chinese Turkey Lettuce Wraps requested by Sherry.  And I added Hot n Sour Soup.  Both were great.  I love Hot n Sour Soup.  My favorite was from House of Thai, but they have closed.  So far I have not found anything close.  So I tried to make my own.  I know understand why I can't find a good soup.  This was a very long process, but worth it.  The lettuce wraps were great also.

I'll start with the Hot and Sour Soup from Silk Road Gourmet.  I found this on a random search for food blogs and after trying this soup, I'm glad I did.  Check out the recipe, and I hope you are not disappointed.  I sure wasn't.


 I like to chop my ingredients all at one time if possible.


I made this on my day off.  At lunch time, I made the Soup Base.  Which is basically a rich and flavorful stock. What I found interesting was that it had both chicken and beef broth.  Not to mention you have pork in there.  So it is almost like having 3 stocks in one.  I also started the its marinade.

 Thinly sliced pork in a bath of soy sauce.  My mouth is watering as I recap this recipe.  Dang I want some soup...

I did not add any mushrooms to the soup at all. I also didn't add any lily buds.  From what I could tell on my research of lily buds is that they don't change the taste much.  And since I wasn't up to a special trip to an Asian store to find them, I left them out.  Since I liked it, I'm okay with omitting them.  I will look for them and make this again with them and see if the make a difference.




I also loved the lettuce wraps.  And I made the with mushrooms!  I know, you can't believe it if you know me well.  But I used about half the amount and I chopped them.  Okay, I minced the heck out of them.  But I did notice they add an earthy taste.  I made a couple changes to the Chinese Turkey Lettuce Wraps, such as the mushrooms.  In stead of button mushrooms, I used baby portabella and I used 1/2 a can of water chestnuts.  I also am not a fan of iceberg lettuce, so I used roman heart leaves.  They are a bit sturdier and I feel have more flavor.

I chopped all this up earlier in the day also.  That way at dinner time it was a little faster to prepare.

Looked, proof I added mushrooms!

This looks way better when finished.

Together, they make a GREAT dinner and pretty low in carbs.  Doesn't this look tasty.   And they are both good as left overs.  I was even nice and took some of the lettuce wraps to Sherry so she could try them.  Since she is the one to suggest that I make.

Up next, LOW CARB snacks, lunch and products.  Send in your low carb ideas for me to try!